Once you know a maneuver, you must ready it before you can use it. A maneuver usable by swordsages is considered an extraordinary ability unless otherwise noted. Your maneuvers are not affected by Spell Resistance and you do not provoke an attack of opportunity for initiating a maneuver.

You learn additional maneuvers as listed on the table above. You must meet the maneuver's prerequisite before you can learn it.

Upon reaching 4th level, and every even level thereafter (6, 8, 10, 12, 14, 16, 18, 20) you can choose to learn a new maneuver in place of one that you already know. You may choose the new maneuver from any level you like, so long as you meet the prerequisites, it does not have to be the same level as the one you replaced. You may swap only a single maneuver at any given level.

Maneuvers Readied: You can ready four of the six maneuvers you know at 1st level, however as you gain levels and learn more maneuvers, you must choose which maneuvers to ready. You ready your maneuvers by exercising and training for five minutes. The maneuvers you choose remain readied until you decided to spend another 5 minutes changing them. You do not need to sleep or rest before readying maneuvers.

You begin an encounter with all of your readied maneuvers unexpended. When you initiate a maneuver, you expend it for the current encounter, so each of your readied maneuvers can only be used once per encounter.

Stances Known: You begin play with knowledge of one 1st level stance from any discipline available to swordsages. At 2nd, 5th, 9th, 14th and 20th level, you can choose one additional stance to know. Unlike maneuvers, stances are not expended and you do not need to ready them. All of the stances you know are available to you at all times, and you can change the stance you are currently using as a swift action. A stance is an extraordinary ability unless otherwise noted.

Unlike with maneuvers, you cannot learn a new stance at higher levels in place of one you already know.

Discipline Focus: As a swordsage you can focus your training to take advantage of each discipline's fighting style. Each time you gain the Discipline Focus ability, select one of the six swordsage disciplines to which that particular focus applies. You can select different disciplines each time you gain discipline focus, but you must know at least one martial maneuver from the selected discipline. Even if you select a different discipline at higher levels, your discipline choice for earlier levels does not change.

Weapon Focus: At 1st you gain the benefit of the Weapon Focus feat for weapons associated with the selected discipline.

Insightful Strikes: At 4th level you can add your Wisdom modifier as a bonus on damage rolls whenever you execute a strike from the chosen discipline. At 12th level you can choose a second discipline to gain this bonus.

Defensive Stance: At 8th level you gain a +2 bonus on all saving throws whenever you adopt a stance from the chosen discipline. At 16th level you can choose a second discipline to grant this bonus.

Quick to Act:At 1st level you gain a +1 bonus on initiative checks. This bonus increases by +1 at 5th, 10th, 15th and 20th level.

AC Bonus: Starting at 2nd level you can add your Wisdom modifier as a bonus to your AC so long as you wear either light or no armor, are unencumbered and not wielding a shield. This bonus applies to touch AC, Flat Footed AC and CMD. You lose this bonus if you are immobilized or helpless.

Flurry: Starting at level 6 you can strike your enemies with a quick flurry of blows. As a full attack action, you can take a -2 penalty on all attack rolls until the beginning of your next round to gain one additional attack at your highest attack bonus. This ability does not stack with any other ability that would grant you extra attacks. At 14th level the penalty is reduced to -1 and at 18th level the penalty disappears entirely.

Sense Magic: Beginning at 7th level, you gain the ability to focus on a single individual as a standard action. After doing so, you gain the knowledge of any magical weapon they are currently wielding and armor that they are currently wearing.

Evasion: Beginning at 9th level, whenever you succeed at a Reflex save that would cause you to take 1/2 damage from an attack, you take no damage instead. You still take full damage on a failed save.

Improved Evasion: At 17th level, whenever must make a Reflex save that would cause you to take 1/2 damage from an attack, you instead take no damage on a successful save and 1/2 damage on a failed save.

Dual Boost: At 20th level, whenever you initiate a Boost maneuver, you may initiate a second Boost maneuver that you have readied at the same time. Both maneuvers are expended as normal.